Out of the Frying pan and intothe box?
by TR-Fanfic
Summary: London or San Diego? Mac finds a very odd and unique way of posing the marriage question to Harm. As always it leads to nakedness!


**This is a very strange rewrite of the scene in Mac's apartment in FWAFS. What if Mac had needed his advice on a very odd decision. And what if Harm had let Mac go first. This story came to me when I was moving. You'll soon find out why.**

I don't own JAG but if I did, I would have shown Harm and Mac hot bunking at least once.

Out of the frying pan and into the…box?  
By TR

"You're crazy Mackenzie! Absolutely nuts! And you're not the only one who's going think so, when this is over. I don't know what you expect to happen here." She sighed. "I expect *something* to happen. I'd settle for at least…something." She picked up a roll of tape from the table, and a throw pillow from the pile next to it. "I don't know why I'm doing this." She muttered to herself, and then took a deep breath. "Yes I do. Because I love him." She put her hands on her hips, and surveyed her handiwork. "And because I'm completely insane. Maybe it's time one of us does something just a little insane." She smiled at that, and grabbed another pillow.

Ten minutes later she finished her task, brushed her hands together, and debated between calling Harm and calling the "white coats" to turn herself in.

She opted for the former, only to find that Harm wasn't answering his phone. When a familiar knock sounded at the door, she knew why.

A grin came unbidden to her face, and she felt the heat rising to her cheeks. *He's going to think I'm totally nuts, but hell, that'll make two of us.* She shrugged. "Come in."

Harm stepped in the door, looked in her direction, and froze. Blinked twice, shook his head and then looked again. The image didn't make anymore sense the second time around. Mac sat in her almost empty living room, inside the largest box he'd ever seen in his life. It was up ended, and lined with pillows of various shapes and sizes. About a foot away was another slightly smaller box in the same position also lined with pillows.

"Hey," she said; her smile still in place.

He smiled back at her, and she suddenly wondered how she'd ever been able to form a coherent thought when he was around.

"Hey," he said hesitantly. Then continued with what he came to say. "I uh…I need your advice."

"Good because I need yours too. I just can't decide…." She trailed off and he watched with growing puzzlement as she moved from box to box. Sitting in one, rearranging pillows, sitting in the other, testing elbow room.

Finally she seemed to come to a decision and stood up. "So, what do you think?" She asked, patting the box she'd just stepped out of.

Harm gave a bewildered chuckled. "Looks comfy. Uh, Mac...what are you doing?"

"Just testing it out."

His eyebrows rose. "For what?"

She looked him in the eye. Her expression a mixture of shyness and determination. "I'm fixing up this box for you?"

"For me? Are you expecting me to be homeless sometime soon?"

"No." She laughed. "But you'll need to be comfortable when I smuggle you out to San Diego with me."

His mouth dropped open.

Her smile widened. "I suppose you can have the other box if you'd like, but this one has more leg room. Or if you insist on going to London, I'd like to hide in that one."

Harm shook his head, and gave up trying to make sense of what he was seeing. "Why that one?"

"It's got more pillows of course."

He had to laugh. Only Mac would think of this. "Naturally," he replied with as much casualness as he could muster, "I should have known."

"So Sailor, what's it going to be?" She asked, pointing to each of the boxes. "Door number one, or door number two?"

He quirked an eyebrow, and hoped she couldn't see his heart hammering through his chest. Tucking slightly trembling hands into his pockets, he said, "those are my only options?"

She raised her chin a notch, and moved a step closer to him. "Yes they are. I've been in here all day trying to tell myself that moving on is the right thing to do. That we would never have worked out in the first place. That I've wasted all these years wishing for something that is never going to happen. But you know what Harm?"

"What?"

"I can't make myself believe it." She took another step. "I told you once that you would never lose me. Well, I'm not going to accept losing you either." She folded her arms in silent challenge. "So take your pick, London or San Diego?"

He looked at her for a long moment. "Where do you want to go Mac?"

"I want to be where you are. I just can't fathom….can't accept, anything else."

He smiled. "Do I get any say in this?"

"You had your say at the Dining Out, and on the beach at Manderlee, and by my bedside on Christmas eve. Now it's my turn. I want you. All of you." She emphasized. "If I'm ever going to believe that it won't work between us, you're going to have to be the one to convince me because I think we can make a go of it."

"You think so?"

She smirked. "Well it wouldn't last forever, but I'd give us at least a good 50 or 60 years." Her expression changed to one of entreaty. "I was angry with you once for not fighting for me. I could hardly justify that if I don't fight for you now. One of us has to decide once and for all what we are to each other. And I'm telling you, I'm not letting you walk out of my life."

His eyes sparkled. "50 or 60 years?"

"Or until one of us dies, whichever comes last."

Harm's eyebrows rose. He admired her coolness. Laying it all on the line was a scary venture even in the best of circumstances. "So," he said, barely keeping a handle on the euphoria rising inside him. "Till death do us part?"

Mac grinned and winked at him. "That's the idea. What do you say?"

He wasn't sure *what* to say. He hadn't expected anything remotely similar to this. He had anticipated easing into a conversation about maybe starting something more with her, using the momentum of their forced separation to convince her to at least give it a try. But this…this he didn't at all foresee. This he hadn't dared to hope for.

Still unable to put his thoughts into words, he opted for silence. Without a word, he set his car keys on the table, walked over to the boxes, and looked back and forth between them rubbing his hand over his chin as if contemplating the options. Making his choice, he moved to the box she'd 'fixed up' for him, and simply sat down.

Mac's world stood still, just for a instant; there was nothing, no air, no ground, no color, no light, nothing but his laughing, happy eyes. It was then that she knew that the last thing she would remember in this life would be the gleam in his eye as he looked up at her from that box. That ridiculous box. That beautiful box.

She'd thought she was prepared for whatever his reaction might be. Thought that he would pepper her with questions, make declarations, maybe even take her temperature. But he hadn't. He hadn't said a word. His answer to her proposal was silent, and deafening. A smile began to form on her lips, and for a brief moment she wondered if anyone else in the history of the world had ever accepted a proposal of marriage, by simply walking across a room and sitting in a box. Somehow she doubted it. This gesture, like everything else in their lives, was unique to them.

Her smile grew as happiness welled up inside her, threatening to drown her in the bargain. When she could no longer contain it, she burst out in a bout of laughter, and launched herself across the room and into his waiting arms.

He began to laugh with her as the momentum of her body, knocked him onto his back and flipped the box back to it's natural position. She ended up flush on top of him, the top of her head resting just below his chin. Her hands fisted in the pillows at his shoulders. Her laugh melted into a glowing grin as she raised her head to look at him. Slowly she lifted onto her hands, and slid up his body until they were face to face.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hi," he replied, wiggling an eyebrow.

She ducked her head and blushed, even as she moved deliberately against him.

He rested his hands slightly beneath her shirt, slowly stroking her silky skin.

She ran a hand through his hair, trailed her fingers over his jaw, and leaned closer. His arms rose higher and wrapped around her back, as their lips met. The kiss was both soothing and electric, passionate and tender, and they immediately took it deeper. Simultaneously fanning the flames and quenching a thirst that had plagued them since the moment they met. And suddenly they knew, a lifetime would never be enough.

They pulled back, and their eyes met and held. Amazed by the reality of what they were doing. Harm raised his hands and laced his fingers through her hair, cupping her face.

He gently kissed her again, "Nine years and I've never really seen you before."

Mac smiled, "It's still me," she said. "I've just gotten everything I've ever wanted."

He grinned up at her, "I love you Mac."

"I love you too." She looked around at their cardboard surroundings, "you realize you're in the San Diego box?"

He nodded, and then slid his hands down to her backside, holding her more tightly against him. "But seeing as how we fit so well together, why don't we both stay in here. We can be shipped to some remote island, where no one else can bother us, and live on love and Coconuts."

"Sounds good to me." She kissed his chin. "Whatever it takes Harm."

"Whatever it takes?"

Her eyes flashed. "I'd follow you into hell if that's what it took to keep you in my life."

He stroked her hair. "Then we'll find a way. London, San Diego, maybe neither one. It makes no difference to me, Mac. I just want to be with you, above all else."

Her eyes softened at his words and, she leaned in to kiss him once more. Harm gathered her shirt in his hands and lifted it over her head, draping it over the side of the box.  
The rest of their clothing followed suit. His eyes darkened, while hers drifted shut, and they fell together in a smooth rhythm both familiar and new.

They made love with everything they had in them. They nuzzled, and teased, and laughed. Demanded, and begged, and yielded. Slow and tender movements were punctuated by bursts of hard quick passion. Voices cried out. Fingers clung. Bodies moved together in one languid motion. Declarations were made; promises whispered, and two lives were irrevocably transformed.

Mac ran her lips over his neck and jaw. "You realize it's never going to be like this again, don't you?"

"You mean we're never going to make love inside an enormous box again?"

She laughed. "Well that too," she said, as she ran her hands over his chest. "Actually I meant us, the way we are now. Together with absolutely nothing on. This is the first and last time that will ever happen."

"Oh really. And why is that?" He asked, noting the amusement in her voice.

"Because," she said, peppering kisses over his face and neck. "From now on, we'll be wearing rings."

He laughed and kissed her. "So all this just to get me to buy you a ring, eh? Pretty elaborate MacKenzie, I'm interested to see what you'll come up with when you want a new car."

She laughed, and smacked him on the chest. "Behave. And I can buy my own car."

"But not your own ring."

"No, I'll let you take care of that one." She replied with a soft smile. "Yours is covered."

"It is?"

"Of course. I could hardly propose without a ring."

He smiled. "Yours is covered too."

Shock replaced the amusement on her face. "Really?"

"Yes."

"How long have you had it?"

"I bought it right after Christmas."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I wasn't sure how you would respond."

Touched, she put her arms around him. "I would have said yes Harm. I always would have said yes, if I knew that's what you were offering."

He stroked her back. "That's good to know."

She snuggled into the crook of his neck. "This isn't half bad. Too bad we're never going to do it again. Unless you want to keep the box?"

"Why not? It's now become an heir loom."

"Somehow I don't think Mattie would like this box to be included in her inheritance."

Harm pulled a face. "You're right. Then we'd have to tell her why we kept it. Not a good idea."

Mac wiggled her eyebrows. "Of course there's no reason why we can't make use of it while we're here."

"I agree." He said, in low voice, as his hand moved slowly down her side. When his fingers brushed over a ticklish spot she yelped.

"You're going to pay for that…"

Her idle threat was cut off by a short knock at the door.

"Mac?" Harriet's voice came from the doorway. "Are you…?"

Her voice trailed off as she eyed the pillow lined box. Not only was it huge, it was standing on end. The box next to it was even bigger, and something shifted inside it.

Harm tried to hunker down, in a futile attempt to get deeper into the box. Mac looked him in the eye, mortification and amusement warring on her face. He shrugged. Not knowing what to do. Mac bit her lip, swallowed down her embarrassment, and rose up just enough to see over the side of the box.

"Um...Harriett."

Harriet's eyes grew wide with disbelief, as she took in the scene. For a minute she just stared, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. A huge box with clothes hanging haphazardly over the sides. Two sets of clothes. Mac's embarrassed yet satisfied face peeking over the side trying not to reveal anything more than her disheveled hair and naked shoulders. Harm's keys on the table. Harm's keys. "Oh my gosh!"

"Harriett!" She looked up to see Mac looking at her with equal parts laughter and chagrin. "Can you give us a minute?"

Harriett's mouth twitched. "Um...sure." Her shoulders started to shake as she quickly left, closing the door behind her. They could hear her laughter ringing down the hallway.

Harm and Mac looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

"I guess the secrets out." Mac said, wiping her eyes.

"What secret? They've been waiting for this forever." His eyes softened. "We all have."

She kissed his mouth and then quickly stood up and stepped out of the box. She took his hand and pulled him up as well.

"I guess we just saved a bundle on invitations for the wedding." Harm said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, we'll just tell Harriet. Everyone will know by noon tomorrow."

His arm snaked around her waist. "Is that when you want to get married?"

Mac put a finger to her chin, contemplating. "No, noon's too early. Let's make it 2pm."

"Done."

They kiss long and slow to seal the deal. Then quickly dressed and went to the door. Sure enough Harriett was on the phone in the hallway telling Bud what she'd seen. They waved her into the apartment while she was still talking a mile a minute.

"Oh and tell him we're getting married too." Mac told her.

Harriett's eyes widened, and her voice rose as she relayed the information.

"Tomorrow, at 2pm." Harm put in.

This time Harriett glared, and put her hand over the receiver. "And you're telling us now?"

Harm smiled. "We've only been engaged for an hour and a half."

"An hour and 47 minutes." Mac corrected.

"Right." Harm conceded.

Harriett hung up the phone, and sat down on the couch to catch her breath. "Wow. So, tell me, how did this all happen?"

Mac smiled, and put an arm around Harm's waist. "Well, the whole thing started when I went down to storage and saw these two gigantic boxes…."

End of scene. Good? Bad?


End file.
